Musings on World events from the perspective of a Social and an Economic Liberal.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Defend to the Death...

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"

Voltaire

The exclusion from the UK of Geert Wilders, a Dutch MP who has some rather trenchantly hostile views about Islam was simply craven. I don't necessarily believe what he says, and I certainly disagree with the manner in which he expresses himself. However I do believe that free speech should be kept free, no matter what.

Perhaps even more offensive do I find these American nutters from the Westboro' Baptist Church, who mostly seem to be related to each other. They are childish and ridiculous controversialists. Their latest immature stunt is to picket some play in Britain, because it might not regard homosexuals as sub-humans with a one-way ticket to Hell.

Apparently these nutters picketing a school are somehow less prejudicial to public order than a private seminar inside the British Parliament Building hosted by several Members of the House of Lords.

Now following on from the same logic that banned an elected politician from a friendly country, one might expect that these pathetic bunch of nutters would also face a ban. On the other hand perhaps not.

If not, then the Home secretary should surely resign (I mean on an issue apart from her manifest greed and incompetence).

The fact is that Britain is now happy to restrict free speech all over the world through the disgraceful manipulation of our too-broad libel laws by greedy lawyers. Nevertheless a free country must have free speech, even for inbred nutters from Hicksville and certainly for Dutch MPs.

I don't necessarily like what they say, but it is not up to the state to decide whether I should be allowed to hear them or not.